Jason and Piper in Tartarus!
by AnonymousSquid
Summary: What if Jason and Piper fell into Tartarus instead of Percy and Annabeth? Would they die? Probably, but find out what happens in the mediocre story below!
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! This is my first fan fiction, and it's kind of bad. I haven't really written anything yet, so this isn't a great story. This is just the first chapter. If people seem to like it I'll write more. Feel free to give me your support, or say it sucks, I'm okay with either. Anyway, fan fiction is about what would happen if Jason and Piper fell into Tartarus instead of Percy and Annabeth. So here it goes!**

Darkness. An endless hole. Everything washed in red. That was the only way Jason could describe the Pit of Tartarus. If not for the wind in his ears, he wouldn't have even known he was falling. Below him was blackness. It looked like the ground had been covered in tar. _But it's not the ground_ Jason thought. He looked up, and saw the silhouette of Leo, frozen in his position, his mouth open in shock, with one hand wielding a hammer and the other reaching out to the edge of the pit. Just like everything else, Leo's skin and clothes were red. Jason didn't know if the blood-colored smoke was creating an illusion, or if his fevered brain was making the illusion by itself. The only thing he knew was that it wasn't really Leo up there. Jason couldn't tell how long he'd been falling. He had been unconscious when he fell, and just woken up with an ache in his head, his sword in his scabbard, free-falling into what he thought was an ocean full of ink. He looked at his surroundings again, and felt like something cold was crawling around in his stomach. His hands started shaking uncontrollably, and his throat contorted as he started to panic. Jason had been in frightening situations before, but waking up in the Pit of Tartarus plummeting towards your certain demise? This took the cake. He tried to summon wind, but to no avail. He shot out a lasso of wind to catch a _vente,_ but there were no wind spirits around. His lasso would have been too feeble anyway. The pit seemed to suck the power and energy right out of Jason. Or maybe he was just falling too fast. He was about to call it quits, until he heard a voice. "Jason?" someone called from below him. Jason's heart missed a beat.

"Pipes?" he shouted back, his voice hoarse.

"Jason!" she yelled back, sounding like she was torn between laughing and crying. "I'm down here!"

Jason squinted downward. If he looked hard, he could just see a faint outline of something, presumably Piper.

"I'm coming!" he called. _I might not be able to go up using the winds_ he thought. _But what about down?_ He called on the winds again, using every ounce of strength he had. He tucked his head in between his hands, put his hands together like he was about to dive into a pool, and commanded the winds to push him downward. The winds obeyed, and with a burst of wind that felt like standing on a geyser but upside down, he shot towards Piper. Her silhouette came into closer view and Jason ordered the winds to stop. Now inches away from her, Jason reached out and pulled Piper closer to him. He could feel her trembling. She pressed her face into his shoulder. Jason was suddenly reminded of the first time they met, when Jason had stupidly plunged off the Grand Canyon to save Piper, before they knew they were demigods. Jason had to smile at the irony. Jason had saved Piper from splattering on the Grand Canyon floor and had held her close when he caught her. Now, they were living almost the exact same moment again, except this time they were in Tartarus. And this time Jason couldn't save them. Piper lifted and stared into his eyes. Jason did the same, gazing into her kaleidoscope eyes that never ceased to amaze him.

"Jason, can you fly us out of here?" she asked, the hope in her voice fading by the end of the sentence. He shook his head.

"I can fly us downward, but the momentum we're falling at and the presence of Tartarus is too strong," he answered, not looking her in the eyes. He didn't want to see her expression when she realized it was hopeless.

"So...is this it? Is this the end?" she said softly. He took a deep breath.

"I guess it is. But on the bright side, no more monsters," he answered, trying to make a joke out of it.

"No more weapons," she replied.

"No more prophecies."

"Or annoying gods."

"Or Gaea."

They both laughed weakly. Death wasn't fun, no matter what angle you looked at it. Jason rested his head on Piper's shoulders. Piper did the same. Summoning the wind had taken all of his energy, which hadn't been much in the first place. He looked around the pit one last time, and closed his eyes, for what Jason thought would be the way they would stay for eternity.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter** **Two**

"Jason!" Piper called. Jason opened his eyes. He looked down. With a sickening jolt, he realized their fall was about to come to an end. Below him, was a desert of black sand, with glass shards sticking up out of the ground. He heard screaming and wailing, but the only thing that was there was a black river. Jason rubbed his eyes. He must have been really tired to imagine screaming. He looked back up at Piper, who was looking at him fearfully.

"What should we do?" she asked, sounding like she was on the edge of hysteria. Jason looked around. For the first time, he noticed the long, sticky, ropes running along the edges of the cavern. Not ropes, Jason thought. Webs.

"Hold on," Jason said. He held Piper securely around the waist. He raised his hand and called on the winds to push him to the said. He closed his eyes tightly, straining to get the air under his control.

"Hurry!" Piper yelled. Jason tried again, this time praying for his father, Jupiter, to give him the strength to control the winds. Suddenly, Jason felt the wind at his back. The wind slammed into him, and he and Piper went flying across the cavern. As the soared, Jason stuck out his hand and grabbed a web. He held on tight, one hand on the web, the other around Piper's waist as the wind pushed against them. Stop! Jason thought, and the wind died down as suddenly as it had started.

"We're going to slide down the web, okay?" he said to Piper in his most reassuring voice. She nodded. Jason loosened his grip and they slowly but surely made their way down the web and into the cavern of Tartarus. When they were ten feet above the ground, Jason heard a noise. It sounded like a monster was hissing. He felt the web jolt, and he lost his grip. He fell down five feet before he managed to grab the web.

"You okay?" Piper called from above him. The web jolted again.

"Yeah, but I think something's pulling on the-" The rope jolted for a third time, and the web ripped free of whatever it had been wrapped around. Jason felt himself float in air for a second, and then plummeted towards the ground.

"Jason!" Piper shouted. But there was nothing Jason could do this time. He had already used his energy using the winds earlier. The ground came nearer and nearer until-

WHAM!

Jason opened his eyes and rubbed his head. He was lying in the black desert. Jason turned to the side and let out a gasp of horror. His head was one inch away from a jagged spike of glass. He swallowed, and stood up. Piper was already standing, next to the lake where the screaming was coming from. Piper saw him, and started to run towards him. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, and stood frozen, staring at Jason in horror. She slowly raised her hand and pointed at him. No, not at him. Above him. He turned around and gasped. A huge, dark, figure was hanging upside down from the caverns end above him. The monster was covered in black hair, with milky white eyes and pincers longer than Jason.

"Arachne," Jason said. Arachne licked her lips and snarled. Jason slowly backed up, while holding out his palms towards the monster, the way you do when you want a dog to stay. Suddenly, she lunged at Jason, digging her left pincer into Jason's ribs. He roared in pain and kicked Arachne in the stomach. Arachne crashed to the ground, hissing and spitting. Jason put his hands on his ribs. Blood was already spilling out, and the cut was surrounded with black, sticky, goo. Spider venom. Jason's vision started to go fuzzy. The world began spinning, just as it had when he had summoned the storm at Fort Sumter. Arachne lunged at Jason again, and Jason fell to the ground with no strength. Arachne opened her mouth, revealing rows of perfectly sharp teeth and black venom. He closed his eyes and felt hot breath on his face as Arachne leaned in, ready to bite his head off. He braced himself, waiting to hear the snap of Arachne's jaws as she dug her teeth into his head. Instead, he heard a wail and felt the monster's weight lift off of him. He opened his eyes, and golden dust flew into them. Piper was standing above him, wielding his gladius, which was covered in green spider blood. She offered her hand to Jason, and pulled him to his feet.

"Are you okay?" she asked, glancing at his ribs. Jason looked down as well, but then snapped his head up and focused on Piper. The sight of the oozing, bloody wound nauseated him.

"I'll be fine. Got any ambrosia?"

After an hour of trudging across a plain the size of Manhattan, Jason asked for a break. He and Piper sat down on an obsidian rock and caught their breaths. Jason wiped the sweat from his eyes. His arms and legs ached, and his rib wound throbbed. He had eaten some ambrosia, and Piper had bandaged the wound with some cloth in her pack, but the hole the spider had made was not something that a band-aid and some duct tape would heal. He absent-mindedly scratched at the blisters that had formed on his arms. Piper handed him a canteen of nectar. He took a swig and wiped his mouth.

"How's the wound?" Piper asked, sounding concerned.

"Fine," Jason answered untruthfully. She looked at him uncertainly.

"So, what now?" Jason said, anxious to change the topic. The last thing he wanted to do was to worry Piper.

"Well, we're gonna need to find some food." Piper answered. Jason wondered where you could find food in Tartarus, or if there was any food at all.

"Wait, isn't there a legend about a guy who has fruit hanging above him, but he can't eat it?"Jason offered.

"Yeah, that's right! His name is Tantalus. He was punished for trying to steal some ambrosia from Olympus, and then for feeding the gods a stew made from his son, Pelops. Annabeth said he worked at Camp Half-Blood for a while," Piper explained.

Jason processed that information. At least there was food in Tartarus somewhere, but the problem was Jason had no idea where Tantalus was.

"Okay, so I guess we'll look for Tantalus? And also, we need to find the Doors of Death. Nico said it was located at the heart of Tartarus. Right now, I would guess we're at the foot of Tartarus, so we should keep heading straight," Jason suggested. Piper placed her canteen in her pack and slung it over her shoulder. Jason rose, gritting his teeth to keep from groaning. They began walking, every so often glancing around. Jason felt anxious and jumpy. Besides Arachne, they hadn't encountered any monsters, which bothered him, since Tartarus was monster home court. He felt like they were in a display case, and there were a bunch of monsters watching them from above, waiting to make a move. Jason stopped. He felt like his stomach was turning to ice.

"Jason, what's wrong?" Piper asked. Jason didn't answer. He scanned the skies, trying to see through the blood, hazy clouds. Suddenly, a winged creature swooped down, it's claws extended, aiming straight for Piper.

"Duck!" Jason yelled. He flicked his sword, which elongated into a sleek, golden spear. He threw it like a javelin, but the monster swept a enormous wing in front of its face, and the spear bounced off and fell to the ground, a solid thirty feet from where Jason was. The creature dropped to the ground, which made the ground shake. It roared, baring its foot-long teeth.

"Dragon!" Piper shrieked, reaching for her dagger as the dragon let loose another almighty roar. The dragon regarded them. The look in his eyes said, Oh boy! More tasty demigods! Piper gripped Jason's arm.

"Fight or run?" Jason thought that was kind of a dumb question, considering the size and ferocity of the beast standing before them. The dragon was enormous, at least three times the size as Festus. It had copper colored scales, and talons longer than Jason. It's eyes were solid black. It's tail swished back and forth, a long, powerful club covered in deadly spikes. The monster snarled, and Jason realized it had three tongues.

"It's the Colchian Dragon," he realized. The dragon snorted, like it was pleased to recognized. Jason watched tensely, waiting for the monster to attacked. As quick as lightning, it lunged at Jason and blew fire. Jason summoned the wind and pushed the monster back, then lassoed his sword and brought it back to him. The monster roared in challenge, and charged at Jason.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

 **Sorry I haven't updated for a loooooonnnnngggg time. I kind of completely forgot about this story, but I'm going to try to update once a week from now on. So, yeah. This chapter is very short, but the next one will be much longer.**

As the monster charged, Jason leaped over it, using the wind to push him. He turned and slashed at the beast's back, but the blade skittered off, leaving a trail of sparks, but no wound. The dragon breathed fire at Piper, who rolled to the side and sliced off its talon. The dragon snarled and stomped its feet. Jason flew onto the monster's head, and stabbed downward with such force that when the blade bounced off its scales, Jason flew back twenty feet. He landed hard on his sword arm, and groaned as he pushed himself to his feet.

He ran over to Piper, who had been distracting the monster with her charmspeak, by yelling things such as "Duck!" "Stay!" and "Retreat!" The dragon reared and brought its foot down where Piper was standing, distracted by the beast's mouth, which was still spewing fire.

"Look out!" Jason yelled as he crashed into her, knocking her out of the way as the foot slammed into the ground, creating a crater the size of a car. He parried the monsters tail, which had swung at them, and sliced of a row of spikes.

"How do we kill this thing? It's scales are like armor!" Piper asked as she dodged yet another fireball. Jason thought. Its entire body was covered in scales… except for the mouth.

"Its mouth! Piper, get it to open its mouth!" he shouted. Piper grabbed some rocks from off the ground and threw them at the dragon, who tried to swat them away. She then took out her knife, took aim, and threw it at the dragon, nailing the dragon right in its black, shadowy, eye. It roared in anger, and Jason summoned lightning. A bolt struck down from the blood-red clouds and Jason's blade absorbed it. He aimed it at the monster's mouth and blasted the bolt. An arc of lightning shot out of his blade and straight into the dragon's mouth. The monster shook as arcs of lightning ran across its scales. The smell of smoke appeared as the beast's eyes were shocked. The dragon let out one final roar of despair, then fell to the ground. The monster's insides crumbled to dust, leaving a massive scale carcass. Jason poked it with his sword.

"These scales are like Celestial Bronze, we could use it to make armor." Jason suggested. Piper nodded. He sawed off some pieces. Now that the beast was dead, it was easier to cut through the skin. He handed some scales to Piper, who used her duct tape and other various supplies to create makeshift chest plates. Piper gave one to Jason, who slipped it over his head. Piper did the same.

"Ew, gross. The inside is covered in monster slime!" Piper complained. Jason laughed. He stuck his blade in his scabbard and helped Piper up. He took her hand and gave her a reassuring smile.

"C'mon, let's go find Tantalus before something else attacks."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

 **This is a chapter from Percy's perceptive when the Kerkopes attack the ship, and it's much longer than chapter three. Also, some people have been saying in the comments stuff like "how are they not dead" and I know that they would probably die pretty fast, but I don't want to end my story that fast, so I'm keeping them alive. For now. WHEEE**

"Look!" Percy pointed at the walls. The images of Camp Half-Blood were flickering and changing.

"Not possible," Leo murmured."No way those enchantments could show anything other than scenes from camp. " Suddenly a huge, distorted face filled the entire port-side wall: crooked yellow teeth, a scraggly red beard, a warty nose, and two mismatched eyes—one much larger and higher than the other. The demigods watched for a moment as the dwarves took everything in sight, then snapped into action. Percy and the rest of the crew ran up the stairs. Piper and Coach Hedge were tied up and thrown in the corner. A red furred dwarf, about four feet tall, was throwing everything he could find into a burlap sack. "Hey! That's my stuff!" Leo shouted and charged at the dwarf. Percy was about to help him, then realizing someone was missing.

"Where's the other dwarf?" Percy asked. Suddenly, he heard a click behind him. "Duck!" he shouted and hit the deck. The grenade exploded with a colossal bang, knocking Frank unconscious immediately. Percy's head was pounding, and his ears rang. He managed to roll over, only to see the rest of his friends were out of commision as well. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the brown dwarf launch himself out of the canon, holding a sack full of the demigods supplies. Percy pushed himself up and called over his shoulder, "I'm in pursuit of the brown one!" then grabbed Riptide and jumped overboard.

He held his breath as he sunk into the cool, dark, depths of the Pacific Ocean. Percy looked up and saw a dark shape descending. He swam to the surface and heard screaming. A figure was falling from the sky, his right hand ablaze, and his left one clutching a hammer. Percy spread his hands and a giant geyser erupted under Leo. He fell into the geyser, which softened his fall and prevented him from splatting onto the water's surface and breaking every bone in his body. Percy concentrated, and the geyser slowly shut off, delivering Leo safely to the surface.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Percy asked when Leo was within talking distance.

"The red furry thing pushed me off right after you jumped," Leo explained impatiently. "Went in that direction." He pointed towards a giant tower. "Come on, we gotta go!"

Percy nodded and ordered the waves to push them towards the shore.

"There!" Leo shouted. Percy looked where he was pointing. He saw a flash of red fur run across the window. Leo took off and Percy followed. When they reached the tower, Percy called on the water of a nearby fountain to lift them up. He lept through the window and body slammed the red dwarf.

"Ahhhhhh!" screamed the dwarf as he flew across the room and slammed into the brick wall on the opposite side of the tower. Percy swung his sword at the brown one, who jumped up and landed on a beam that was supporting the ceiling. Leo shot a fireball at the red dwarf, who was still lying on the floor. The dwarf, who obviously wasn't as dazed as he seemed, dodged the fireball, which hit the wall and blew a hole in it.

"Uh-oh," Leo said. The fire spread and was burning the beams and the floor. Percy closed his eyes and felt a wrench in his gut. A wall of water erupted and doused the fire, and the dwarfs. The dwarfs sputtered and gulped as Percy churned a whirlpool under them, preventing them from getting it.

"Leo, tie them up!" Percy called as he tried to keep his water prison going. Leo ran and scooped up his tool belt and got some bungee cords. He tried to grab the dwarves, but the red one's hand shot out suddenly from under the water and pulled Leo in.

"Gah!" Leo yelled as he was pulled underwater with the dwarves. Percy cursed and willed the water to spit Leo out. The water obeyed and Leo was shot out of the water and onto the floor. Leo got to his feet, sputtering and cursing at the dwarves.

"Stupid furry monkeys," Leo muttered.

"Now can you tie them up?" Percy asked, tiring from keeping the dwarves captive.

"Yeah, sure." Leo looked down and gulped. "Or maybe not." Percy turned and looked at Leo.

"What's wro- Hey, where's your belt?" Percy asked. Leo pointed at the whirlpool. "They must have taken it while I was underwater." Leo turned and started rummaging through some crates. "Maybe I could find some rope-" Leo started to say, when BAM! Percy was blown off his feet and landed on the crates. Percy groaned.

"Damn it. This isn't good," Leo's voice came from somewhere on the opposite side of the room.

"One of your grenades?" Percy asked. Before Leo could answer, he heard another pop, and thick smoke filled the air, moving towards him. Percy shuffled backwards. The smoke stung his eyes and burned his lungs. He stood up and staggered forward. The smoke was making him dizzy. Through the haze of smoke, he was the brown dwarf leap out the window, followed by the red one. Percy lunged for them but missed. Percy turned around and saw Leo lying on the floor, groaning. Percy ran towards him, but Leo waved him down.

"I'm fine! Go after the monkeys!" he said, and Percy obeyed. He lept out of the window and landed in a fountain in the middle of a plaza, using the water to break his fall. He scanned his surroundings, but saw no sign of the dwarves. Suddenly, something dropped in front on his feet. He heard a click, and before he could react, the grenade exploded and he was blown halfway across the plaza. His head banged against a wall, and blinked dizzily, his head swimming. He heard someone cackling above him, and the red dwarf jumped down from the window sill he was perched on, snatched Percy's sword, and darted down an alleyway. Percy groaned and tried to stand, using the wall to support him.

"Where'd they go?" said someone behind him. Percy turned and saw Leo standing behind him, his eyes still red from the smoke. Percy shook his head a couple times to clear the spots in his eyes, then spoke.

"Down that alley, I think. Used another grenade and took my sword." Leo scowled, his hands ablaze.

"Come on, let's go," Leo started off towards the alley and Percy followed him. Both the dwarves were there, sitting on a balcony. The red dwarf was fiddling with another one of Leo's grenades, will the brown one was examining Percy's sword. The red dwarf saw the demigods, and laughed.

"Hello, demigods! Back for some more kabloomies?" he asked gleefully, then threw the grenade at Percy's feet. It exploded and mountains of buttered popcorn erupted from it. Percy looked at Leo in confusion. "A popcorn grenade?" Leo shrugged.

The red dwarf pouted. "Not kabloomy enough! Popcorn may not harm demigods, but sharp shinies do! Akmon, would you do the honors of vaporizing this lovely demigods?" The brown dwarf, Akmon, shrieked in delight, and leapt at the demigods in such a fast motion that Percy didn't have time to react. Just as Akmon was about to decapitate Percy, the sword vanished, and Akmon crashed into Percy with surprise. Percy grabbed the dwarf by the feet, using one hand to hold him aloft, and the other hand to pull out Riptide, who, just like always, had returned to his pocket. He uncapped Riptide and Paolos screamed.

"Passalos, help me!" he screamed again, and wriggled around, trying to break free of Percy's grip. Percy held the point of his sword up to Akmon's head, and looked up at the red dwarf, Passalos. "Take off the toolbelt, and drop it into the ground. Then, with your hands up, get down from the balcony and let Leo tie you up. No tricks, or this guy gets it," Percy said, using his sword to point at Akmon. Passalos nodded, his eyes darting side to side, trying to find a way out of the predicament. Then, he reached down slowly, pulled off the toolbelt, and tossed it down. Leo ran to and scooped it up, pulling out some bungee cords in the process. He helped Percy tie Akmon up, and then slipped the tool belt around his waist, looking incredibly relieved. Percy lifted his eyes up to Passalos , who hadn't moved from his perch on the balcony. "Alright, now jump down and out your hands up," Percy commanded, prodding Akmon with his sword for emphasis. Passalos obeyed. Beside him, Leo summoned up a fireball in his hand and glared at Passalos threateningly. He gulped and raised his hands above his head and let Leo tie him up while Percy kept the point of his sword pressed into Akmon's head.

"Ok, now, where is our stuff?" Percy asked once Leo had finished tying Passalos up.

"Over there, in that big tower," said Akmon and pointed at a large building halfway across the plaza. Percy nodded and set off towards the tower, Akmon still being held aloft in his hand. Leo followed him, with Passalos slung over his shoulder like a knapsack. They reached the tower and climbed up the stairs. At the top of the tower, there was a room filled with hundreds of shiny objects, from golden drachmas to celestial bronze goblets. Percy spotted their stuff from the Argo II thrown into a hasty pile by the window. He dropped Akmon, and instructed Leo to watch him while he gathered up their stuff. He snatched up an extra Imperial gold sword and some ambrosia from the Argo II. Across the room, Leo was examining some machinery.

"Woah," he muttered. "An astrolabe." He traced his hand against the smooth, metal sphere.

"Leo, watch the dwarves," Percy reminded him. Leo looked up from the sphere.

"Oh yeah." He set the sphere down carefully and turned to a box filled with more golden junk. Percy found the rest of Leo's grenade collection placed on a golden weaving in the corner. He picked them up and gingerly placed them in the box with the rest of the crew's stuff.

"What's this?" Percy turned and saw Leo holding up a book with pictures of agriculture on the front.

"Oh, nothing! It had a pretty cover, so we took it!" Akmon answered.

"From who?" Percy asked. Akmon and Passalos exchanged looks.

"A minor god in Venice!"

"Venice…" Percy frowned. "Didn't Hecate say that we would find something here that we would need in Venice?" Leo nodded.

"What god did you take this from?" Percy asked.

"Some farming god. I can't pronounce his name. Truh, Tru-toh—Too many

syllables! You can find him at La Casa de Nera, but don't tell him where you found the book. He'd be furious!" Akmon said. Percy assured them he wouldn't, then scooped up the astrolabe and book and placed it in the box. "I think that's everything," Percy said, closing the box and leaning against the wall. "What should we do with them?" Leo thought for a moment, than exclaimed, "I have an idea!" While Leo talked with the dwarves, Percy sent Frank an Iris Message.

"Is everyone okay?" Frank asked anxiously. He still looked a little dazed from the flash bang.

"Yeah, we're fine. We're in a large stone tower with a gold roof. Do you think you could come pick us up?" Percy asked.

"Yeah sure. Be there soon." Frank waved his hand through the mist and disappeared. Percy walked over to Leo, who was crouched down in front of the dwarves, talking amiably. "You have to follow my directions exactly. You have to swear on the River Styx." Leo said.

"We swear!" Passalos said. "Stealing from people is our specialty!"

"I love harassment!" Akmon agreed. "Where are we going?"

Leo grinned. "Ever heard of New York?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **Here's a short, boring chapter for y'all. Also, do any of you ship Emison?**

Piper stumbled as she coughed up blood for the third time that hour. Jason held her close as she heaved onto a jagged rock, splattering it with glistening red liquid.

"Have some of this," Jason said, handing her a canteen of nectar when she was finished retching. Piper took a small sip, not wanting to consume too much. She had already drank half the container, and would be in danger of disintegrating into ashes if she had any more. Piper watched as the blisters on her arms slowly faded. It provided some temporary relief, but she knew the blisters would be back soon. It was just one of the many side effects of the acid air she was forced to breath in. Coughing up blood was another. Jason started to walk forward and Piper tried to follow, but her legs gave out and she crumpled beside the rock.

"I'm fine," she said to Jason, who looked worried. "Just exhausted."

"Let's take a break then." Jason sat down next to her and took her hand. Though Jason acted like he was okay, he was covered in blisters as well. His skin was sweaty and burning. His face was pale and he looked sickly. Piper sighed and leaned into Jason. "What are we going to do? We'll never make it to the Doors of Death," she said wearily.

"Don't say that. We will make it. We _have_ to, for everyone's sake," Jason replied in what was supposed to be a confident voice, but Piper could hear the despair in his voice. He was just as scared as she was. "I wish Annabeth was here. She would know what to do… that's it! Jason, do you have any drachma?" Piper exclaimed. Jason reached into his bag, and pulled out a ziploc bag full of shiny, gold coins. He handed them to Piper, who had taken out her water bottle. "Jason, get out your sword," she commanded. Jason obeyed, looking mystified. Piper opened her bottle and held a drachma in her hand. "What are you doing?" Jason asked. Piper took Jason's sword from him and positioned it. "I'm making a rainbow," she answered. "Now, can you call up some winds?" All around Piper, the air started to swirl. Particles of dust and rock was picked up in Jason's wind. He directed it towards Piper, who trickled water out of her bottle. The wind mixed with the water created a thin mist. Piper then grabbed Jason's blade, which, as Imperial gold always was, glowing. She positioned it at the mist, hoping that it would create a rainbow. Piper closed her eyes and prayed to her mom. _Please Mom, let this work. I need your help. Please._ "It's working!" Jason exclaimed. Piper snapped open her eyes, and saw Jason was right. Piper fumbled for her drachma and tossed it in the mist. "O Iris, accept my offering. Show me Annabeth Chase." The mist faded into a image of the mess hall on the Argo II. The crew was eating breakfast and were talking amiably. Piper cleared her throat and everyone turned towards her. "Hi," she said awkwardly. The crew stared at her and Jason, shocked. Leo was the first one to speak. "Piper! Jason! Man, I'm so glad you're okay! Are you in Tartarus? How are you sending an Iris Message from there?" he asked.

"Listen, I don't think this message will last very long, so I don't have time to explain. Annabeth, do you have any idea on how to survive down here? We were thinking of finding Tantalus, since he has food and water?" Piper said. Annabeth nodded. "Yeah, that's a good plan. I don't know where else you would find food. Tantalus resides in the Fields of Punishment. As for how to survive, there are five rivers running through Tartarus. One of them is the Phlegethon, the River of Fire. In some legends, drinking it will heal you. Do you see any fire rivers around you?" Piper looked around, but wasn't able to see much due to the foggy, dark air. "No," she answered, and Annabeth looked discouraged. "I don't know, then. There is much information on Tartarus. Only one demigod has gotten in and out alive." Everyone in the group glanced at Nico, who was curled up in the corner, nibbling on some pomegranate seeds. Piper nodded, trying not to look dejected.

"Okay, then. We're heading towards the Doors of Death, but I don't-" Piper started, but then Percy interrupted.

"Wait, Annabeth, you were talking about the five rivers? One of them is the Styx, right?" Annabeth nodded, understanding what Percy was saying. "Yeah, you're right. If you found it and swam in it, you'd be practically invincible." Piper wasn't sure she heard Annabeth right. "Wait, you want us to _swim_ in the Styx? Won't we, like, disintegrate or something?" she asked. "No, not if you find your mortal anchor. Trust me, it's possible. Demigods have done it before." Annabeth glanced at Percy briefly, then looked back at Piper. "I think it's your best shot. Bathe in the Styx, steal food from Tantalus, then head to the Doors of Death, which are located…" Annabeth looked at Nico. "At the heart of Tartarus," he answered, his voice still weak and raspy. "Piper," Jason gasped. Piper turned to see Jason kneeling on the ground, panting, his head pulled with concentration. The winds suddenly died down. "Can't keep the winds going," Jason panted. Piper turned back to her Mist image, which was already fading. "Be careful! See you on the other side!" Annabeth called as the she and the rest of the crew faded into the dreary Tartarus landscape. Piper knelt next to Jason. "You okay Sparky?" she asked. Jason smiled. "Yeah, just tired." She knew that normally Jason could have kept those winds going for hours without a problem, but between his would, his fight with the Colchian Dragon, and the overall poisonous atmosphere of Tartarus, he was exhausted. "You wanna take a quick break?" Piper asked. Jason shook his head. "We're not gonna last much longer if we don't find food and the Styx. We should go." Jason stood up. Piper nodded and stood up as well. They both stood there for a moment, not sure which direction to go in. "I think that way. Assuming we came in through the top of Tartarus, the heart would be this way," Jason pointed towards a collection of dark cliffs with jagged rock sticking out of them. "Are you ready to go?" Piper gulped, staring ahead at what awaited them. She swallowed down her fear and answered, "Ready as I'll ever be."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **EWWWW I have so much homework. Anyway, here's chapter six. If there's any specific parts of the book you'd like me to write about just comment it or something. I had to post it late because of school so yeah, but usually I post Thursday nights.**

After hours of trudging through the dreary Tartarus landscape, Piper finally spotted the Styx snaking it's way through a forest of black trees. "There!" she cried, pointing to it. Jason looked past her hand and gasped in relief. They stumbled towards it, going at a slow pace due to Jason's gut wound and Piper's gash on her leg, courtesy of trio of dracaenae. When they reached the river, Piper cried out in relief and fell to her knees. She stared into the murky water, and looked back at her watery reflection. More blisters had erupted on her face. She was covered in soot and dried blood from their many monster encounters. She glanced at Jason, who was also staring into the river with a vacant expression. She cleared her throat and Jason looked up at her. "So, Annabeth said we had to find our mortal anchor, whatever that is," she said. "Your mortal anchor is the thing that keeps you chained to being mortal. Just focus on a spot in your body, a spot you think connects you to your soul," Jason answered. "Okay?" Piper wasn't exactly sure what Jason meant. Jason looked at Piper and saw her hesitation.

"I'll go first," he said, setting down his sword. He looked down into the water, worry lines etched in his forehead. Then he took a deep breath and jumped in. Instantly, he sank to the bottom of the river, writhing and thrashing.

"Jason!" Piper screamed. She reached out her hand to grab him, but froze at the last second. Whatever the river was doing to Jason, Piper most likely wouldn't be able to stop it. _Maybe this is part of the process_ Piper thought. She forced herself to sit down and wrapped her arms around herself, her nails digging into her arms. She waited at the edge of the river, barely breathing, until finally Jason emerged, gasping for air.

"Jason!" Piper cried, tackling him in a hug once he reached the edge of the river. She buried her head in his chest. His skin was burning hot and flaming red, and his arms were smoking. "Are you okay? What happened?" she asked. Jason inspected his smoking arms. "I don't really know. At first the water burned like acid. And then all of these faces appeared in my mind and suddenly...it didn't hurt anymore." Jason let go of Piper and picked up his sword. "Let's see if it worked." Jason lightly traced his arm with the side of his sword. No blood poured out. Then he did it again, but this time, pressing down hard on the blade. No gash appeared. Jason smiled. "I guess it worked." Piper laughed, feeling like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Sure, they were still in Tartarus and would most likely die, but at least now they stood a chance. At least something had finally gone right.

"Okay, then. My turn." Piper stepped towards the bank, feeling nervous. She glanced at Jason, who gave her a confident smile, than stepped in the water. The second Piper's foot touched the water, pain erupted in her entire body. She gasped and fell forward. Her body felt like an inferno. She tried to swim back to the surface, but her arms felt like they weighed a hundred pounds. She sank to the bottom, screaming as every molecule in her body blazed with a pain so intense, she almost blacked out. Her feet hit the bottom, and she stopped trying to swim, realizing it was hopeless. She stopped screaming and closed her eyes, trying to imagine what she cared about most in this world, her mortal anchor. She thought about her mortal point, and an image popped into her head. It was of a scar on her lower back. It was a tiny thing, and Piper hadn't thought about it since the day she got it, when her back clipped the top of the fence as she was blown over it to fall to her death at the Grand Canyon by _venti_ last winter. The scar marked the first time she had seen Jason use his powers. After blasting two of the wind spirits to dust, Jason had jumped of the bridge, not yet knowing he could fly, to save her, not yet knowing who she was. The moment that he caught her was the moment that Piper knew her life had changed forever. The scar on her back blazed, burning worse than any other part of her body. She opened her eyes, and saw faces swarming past her, faces of loved ones. Annabeth, Leo, her father. She watched as they raced past het, the waves carrying them away. Another face appeared in the water, a garbled image of Jason. He reached out his hand as if he wanted her to take it. She lurched forward, using all the strength she had. When she got close enough, she stretched out her hand to grab his, but the second her fingertips brushed his, Jason disappeared. Piper felt a sudden yanking sensation, and was suddenly pulled upward. As Piper neared the surface, she realized that she was no longer in pain. The tugging stopped, and Piper broke to the surface, gasping for air. Her head swam from lack of air, and she looked around dizzily, trying to get a sense of her surroundings.

"Over here!" Jason called. She paddled towards the sound of his voice. Her arms and legs trembled, still getting over the pain she had experienced only moments ago. She swam towards the edge and pulled herself out of the river. Jason ran up to her, relief coloring his face, and helped her stand up.

"Did it…?" he asked. Piper nodded. "It worked." She wasn't sure how she knew, but she did. She felt like she could feel the Styx water pumping through her bones, healing her wounds and coating her bones in armor. "Good. Now maybe we'll stand a chance," Jason said, grinning. Piper smiled too, and sent a silent thanks to her mom. "It looks like our luck has finally changed," said Piper, instantly regretting her words. She'd learned a long time ago that demigods should never assume anything. Piper looked around but didn't see any monsters charging towards them. She breathed a sigh of relief- and was suddenly brutally smacked across the face with a large, leathery wing.


End file.
